New Executive Director to Help Community Foundation 'Reach for the Stars'

SEELEY LAKE - Claire Muller started as the Seeley Lake Community Foundation's new executive director April 30. She looks forward to bringing her skills in leadership, relationship building and collaboration as well as her experience in non-profit administration to work for the community of Seeley Lake.

Muller graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a Bachelor of Arts in International Development Studies. She said her degree has a lot of application to her position in Seeley Lake because it gave her an understanding of rural communities after living in Chili for a year, their struggles, why they are facing them and how to work to improve those in the future.

Muller has been a Missoula County resident for nearly eight years. Her work history includes organizations in Montana and Idaho including the Montana Natural History Center, Selway-Bitterroot Frank Church Foundation, U.S. Forest Service and the Montana Conservation Corps. She brings with her a broader view of ways to connect with resident, organizations and agencies that are operating outside the valley.

"I've spent a lot of time working in the woods and I've spent a lot of time leading groups of people in the woods," said Muller. "For me working in the wilderness was always about community. That to me is a really logical extension to [Seeley Lake] where it is a really small community tucked into this beautiful, kind of isolated place."

Muller moved to the area about a year ago to work as the trails and weeds liaison with the Blackfoot Challenge and the U.S. Forest Service. She loved the perspective the Blackfoot Challenge teaches of focusing on the 80 percent people have in common. She strives to implement that philosophy as well.

"I'm coming in as a collaborator and being able to be a liaison between all the different things [and groups] that are happening in town," said Muller. "Different people have different perspectives and organizations have different missions and goals but [all that aside] focusing on what we have in common."

In addition to her degree from UCLA, Muller earned a Nonprofit Administration professional certificate from the University of Montana. She then worked with many different non-profits in various capacities to intentionally help her see things from different perspectives. She is excited to apply best management practices and increase the effectiveness of the Foundation in her new role.

"I've seen all the different bits and pieces and components that make up what an executive director does which is a jack-of-all trades," said Muller. "I think that my past experience and my background has prepared me very well for this kind of role. Not only am I going to thrive in this but this was exactly the kind of role I was looking for. A position like this hits a lot of my strengths."

Muller said she brings strong leadership skills and has been able to build relationships through her previous work experience leading groups in the wilderness.

"[The Seeley Lake Community Foundation] is a small but mighty organization," said Muller. "I love that it provides an avenue of leadership in this area that is unincorporated and has a ton of things happening. But this organization is taking on the challenge of trying to keep track of all the great work that is happening. My vision is that our job is to build capacity and to connect resources."

She is impressed with the fundraising capacity and unity that has already been built through the Change Your Pace Challenge over the past two years. She looks forward to employing resources from outside that will help everyone benefit. As everyone works together, "what we can create is bigger than the sum of our parts."

Maintaining focus when there is so much happening presents the biggest challenge for Muller. Since the Foundation looks at the big picture and the mission is so broad, it offers a lot of opportunity. However, she feels she will need to continually focus on the mission and define how to be strategic and effective to achieve the pre-determined goals.

"What excites me so much about this organization is that it is small enough in size to be manageable for me to learn the ropes but the mission is large enough in scope for me to stretch my wings."

Muller's primary goal in the next few months is to listen and learn from the community and get plugged into all the good work already being done.

Long-term she would like to be a pillar within Seeley Lake and broader Missoula County. She would like to be a resource for information, support and provide ideas on how to connect resources.

Muller recognized all the work the Foundation board has done over the past year without an executive director.

"I'm really excited to turn more great ideas into action," said Muller.

When not working, Muller enjoys quiet meditative motion including hiking, backpacking, walking and canoeing in wild places. She also enjoys journaling, traveling and working on personal effectiveness. 

"The Seeley Lake Community Foundation is pleased to have someone with Claire's level of energy and leadership helping build sustainable benefits for all," said SLCF President A. Lee Boman. "Claire's professional experience in collaboration and leadership, her academic studies and her skills at relationship building set the stage for community wide enhancements."